The Domino Affect: What Kerry Said Caused a Crisis

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                      

                          The Tower of David in Jerusalem-The City of David

Israel has been facing 100 rockets to be rained down on Southern Israel just days before Purim, a happy festival of being alive after the threat of Haman setting into motion the slaughter of all Jews in the Persian Empire.  Sderot again has taken the brunt of the attack; an attack when homemakers and children were looking forward to this happy celebration. Other southern cities were in the line of fire as well.  The Chief Rabbi of Israel joined them during the attack.
                                                                 

                                         Sderot, the city that has been attacked with 100 rockets, a town founded in the Northern Negev in 1951 which was settled by new immigrants working in development industries.  In 1990 it had the population of 9,480.  It's close to Gaza.  Being Israel is only 8,000 sq miles, every piece of land has to be used.  Most all Israelis live in high rise apartment buildings, not homes such as Oregonians live in.  From 1949 to 1956, Arab terrorists, called fedayeen, trained and equipped by Egypt, repeatedly attacked Israeli civilians from bases in Gaza.  1,300 Israelis were killed or wounded in terrorist attacks throughout Israel.  Nasser was the head of Egypt in those days.
                                                                       

What brought about this sudden impulse to sock it to Israel?  Several things; one of which most likely was the capture of an Iranian ship with missiles that was to be delivered to the terrorists of Gaza.  This must have upset their big plans to hit Israel big-time.  Why did Iran decide to do this?  Why now?  Could it be that there is no strength coming from the USA and Europe over their goal for creating uranium arms when everyone knows they would use them on Israel?  They're calling the shots and the rest of the world is deaf and dumb about it, all except Netanyahu in Israel.   The USA is not the power it used to be.  Syria is not afraid and neither is Iran.  Egypt could not follow Obama's wishes to allow the Muslim Brotherhood to stay in power, even if it meant giving up money coming from the USA.  However Morsi had gotten himself voted in as president, the higher powers realized it could not continue or they would become a Muslim Brotherhood state.  

Other things set the terrorists' mind in motion for destruction, too.  Our state department in the USA is pushing hard to wind up an agreement between the Palestinian Arabs and Israel.  They even want to forgo the one need of Israel-and that is for the Palestinians to accept that Israel is in fact a Jewish state.  Update is that Kerry is telling all that recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is a mistake.  So I'll repeat why this is important again.

Israel  cannot be flooded with Muslims causing the inbalance of the government.  It was created to be a Jewish state.  That's what the League of Nations agreed to in the 20's  and so did the United Nations in 1948.  What has happened to Lebanon, who had the minority Christians in power and now are completely upended with their loss of power cannot happen in any way, shape or form to Israel.  This state of Israel, made up of legal minds both in the rabbinate and in the knesset, know what they need.  Otherwise, Israel doesn't have a chance.
                                                                     

Also, what the state department doesn't think of is that Fatah, the PA of Judea and Samaria are but one group to deal with who are vying for power in the future state of Palestine.  How can they ever forget Hamas, the power in Gaza, terrorists to the death, who swear they will never allow Israel to exist and whose charter is to destroy the tiny state.  Even Fatah will not allow even one Jew to live in their state.  Oh, Kerry condemns the massive rocket attack that just happened, but has worded his previous statements to almost cause it to happen.  Isn't he using the rocket fire to push Israel to concede to all the demands the PA has and negate their need to recognize it as a Jewish state?  Isn't he supposed to be only a negotiator, a mediator, bringing a deal to both  that they can live with?  This isn't happening.  He's gone over to the easiest side to bargain with; the Palestinians.  A mediator is to be in the middle, not offside.  He is to interpose between parties in order to reconcile them, to bring accord out of by action as an intermediary, to act as intermediary agent in bringing, effecting, or communicating.  It should have been an intervention between conflicting parties to promote reconciliation.  Since these parties are dealing with life and death matters where there is so much hatred on the side of the Palestinians, it must include a lot of background knowledge between the 2 parties.  As it stands now, it's impossible.  Here's why.

 Two things have to happen.  The Arabs must recognize Israel as a Jewish state and teach their people to accept this fact; in their homes, from their lips, in their textbooks, and to want peace more than they hate the Jews.  It's too bad Obama and Kerry didn't see this as a pre-requisite to peace.  They've been trying to put the cart before the horse.  It's not working.

Arutz Sheva has brought out the fact that both Fatah and Hamas must be in the picture.  Israel needs Abbas to agree to a demilitarized state which they don't want to do.  Even if he did, Hamas would continue to get rockets and missiles and mortars to use against Israel and guess who would be smuggling them into Gaza somehow?

Negotiations are fine between 2 parties that both want peace.  I don't see this happening here. The Palestinians are not peaceful people yet.   Fatah hooked up with Hamas several times already and only is separated right now because of the struggle for the throne; and Hamas did kick out Fatah and Abbas already from Gaza.  Like the rest of the Middle East, there is always a power struggle even among these like religious groups.  Kerry seems to be bewitched and bewildered by the Palestinian propaganda, but not bothered at all by it.  The Israeli Ministers are bring this to his attention.  They've asked him to condemn terror!!!  Now I ask, is this an unreasonable request?  I figure with some people you have to be very direct.

Update of update:  Kerry's digging a hole for himself telling Congress there's no need to have the Palestinans recognize Israel as a Jewish state because they've ALREADY DONE IT TWICE?    How come Netanayahu and the whole knesset doesn't know about it, then?  Sounds like a familiar story line he's told before about his wartime involvement.

Resource: Arutz Sheva; news@israelnationalnews.com A7 News:  Chief Rabbi Lau Visits Sderot Amid Rockets-Frustration at Peace Talks Grows as Rockets Continue by Tova Dvorin.
http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Kerry-says-Netanyahu-wrong-to-insist-Palestinians-recognize-Israel-as-Jewish-state-345341
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia-Sderot
Israel 101 from StandwWithUs.
Update:  https://www.facebook.com/gail.hopke/posts/10152015447018807 Ministers tell kerry to have Palestinians stop attacking.  http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/178503
http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/12314/kerry-recognition-israel-jewish-state-mistake/?utm_source=Breaking+Israel+News&utm_campaign=a47fa7019d-BIN+Email&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b6d3627f72-a47fa7019d-83518689
http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/03/14/disturbed-rocker-david-draiman-curses-john-kerry-over-jewish-state-comments/
http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/middle-east/israeli-palestinian-relations/kerry-there-is-no-need-to-keep-bringing-up-the-issue-of-recognition-for-a-jewish-state-4293
*Update:  http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/61761, A whiff of Perfidy, Victor Sharpe on Kerry

American Paramedics Joining Magen David Adom : Service of Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                     

American Paramedics Joining Magen David Adom : Service of Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon   

After being struck by rockets in such continuous volume since Wednesday, the whole southern part of Israel has been abused, needing more medical resources than on hand.  I'm happy to read that 14 Jewish paramedics have already arrived in Israel to work as volunteers with Magen David Adom.  They are but the first of dozens who are scheduled to arrive to join the others and assist people in the south.

Since 2001 at least 4,800 rockets have fallen into Israel   There were 28 deaths and hundreds injured.  15,000 people from Sderot alone suffer from PtSD with 1,000 in ongoing treatment from all the bombing.

Usually it is up to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon to deal with everyone's medical problems.  For instance, 1600 KASSAM missiles attacked the south in 2006.  They worked with 1400 patients with acute and post traumatic stress disorders and diseases then.  Each year they face 100,000 emergency admissions. They are a center with 500 beds which means 1 hospital bed per 1000 residents which is the lowest in the country in 2006.  Yet they are serving over 500,000 residents in the immediate area.  I wonder how many hospitals in the USA have had to convert their cafeteria regularly into hospital bed space.  They have, and also have had to go underground for some of their work due to shelling near the hospital so often.

By 2008 Israel was forced to do something to stop the shelling and went into Operation Cast Lead.
By 2009 the terrorists of Gaza were still terrorizing 1 million civilians of southern Israel and already 10 deaths came from this.

Just looking at what was going on from October 24 to 30, 2012, 105 rockets and 12 mortars were shot into Israel from Gaza.
October 31 to November 6th  -2 rockets landed
November 10 to November 16--340 rockets rained down on southern Israel   An IDF vehicle was hit, killing one soldier and injuring the others.  The vehicle was on fire from the hit.  They were on their usual patrol outside the fence separating Gaza from Israel looking for breaks in the fence.

From January 2012 to October there have been 800 rockets shot into Israel. Add 342 plus more to that sum as the shelling has continued, hitting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem with farther ranging rockets from Iran.   These have been answered by  sending complaints to the UN and air flights to hit wherever rockets are coming from.  However, Iran is sending arms through Sudan and up into Egypt where they get to the terrorists through tunnels and trucks.

At the moment, officials are waiting to see if Egypt can reach a  peace agreement.  If not, Israel is ready for a ground incursion to put an end to this shelling.

Resource:  http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=292175
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel,_2012
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel
Oregonian newspaper, 11/18/12  Front page: Israel escalates assault on Hamas, Gaza Strip, page A12 whole page-Opposing narratives bound for collision by AP Dan Perry and Josef Federman, Hamas rockets are new element in fight by NY Times News service-Ethan Bronner,  Israel's Iron Dome missile defense by AP, picture by Hatem Moussa/AP and another picture by McClatchy-Tribune.  They made a few errors here and there, but not bad.  My problem with these reporters is that they jump into the news without an opening sentence to explain, such as headline Israel escalates assault.....It sounds like Israel is the aggressor from that which is not true.  Israel is defending its people.  How about-Israel Defends by hitting back strongly or something like that.  It's like what happened with the report Susan Rice read which had eliminated the word terrorists and replaced it with some other milk toast word.

Israel in Self Defense Mode: Taking Out Terrorist Military Targets Chabad Jews Hit

Nadene Goldfoot
The rockets flying into Israel hitting the civilian landscape was intolerable, bringing about the decision of self defense by taking out terrorist  military targets.  . Israel had decided to root out the terror and hopes to end it.   Of course this brought on the retribution from Gaza's terrorist gangs with over 200 grad rockets, missiles and mortars raining upon Israel today, especially on Kiryat Malachi (City of Angels) with a population of 20,600 in 2009.  It is 10 miles from Ashkelon.  A rocket hit a Chabad neighborhood.  3 Lubavatchers there were killed. Chabad is an orthodox group of Jews.  Their main goal  is education.   One was Mira Sharif, wife of the shaliach from India who was visiting her family.  She was the mother of 3 small children.  7 people there were injured including 2 small infants.


A house in Ashdod  was hit as was a school in Ofakim which is near Beersheba.  3 IDF were wounded and 3 civilians were killed, 5 civilians were injured including a baby, 2 others were injured;  the reports keep coming in.  Schools within 25 miles of the Gaza border have been closed.

 48 rockets were stopped by Israel's Iron Dome.  13-15 Palestinians were said to be killed.  Everything had to come to a stop.  Schools have been closed.  People cannot go to work.  It has been an intolerable rocket barrage.

I don't think anyone was surprised by the Egyptian recall of their Ambassador.  Israel has dropped leaflets early this morning telling Gazans to stay away from Hamas facilities in order to be safe.  When this started, it was thought that the Gazan terrorists had at least 10,000 rockets and mortars in their arsenal.  Just since Wednesday with Operation Pillar of Defense, 70 Israelis have been injured in rocket attacks.

Resource: http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?ID=291954&R=R1
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/145304/Kiryat-Malachi%3A-Three-Lubavitchers-Israelis-Killed-By-Gaza-Rocket-Fire.html (lots of information)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiryat_Malakhihttp://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=291984
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=291984
http://frontpagemag.com/2012/ryan-mauro/muslim-brotherhood-mobilizes-for-hamas/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=9b478e7bef-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

Jews Persecuted With Rockets and Missiles Today

Nadene Goldfoot
While we Jews are enjoying our morning coffees and plans for the day safely in the United States, we have cousins living in southern Israel who face rockets and missiles interrupting theirs.  During the past two months 145 rockets and missiles have been aimed and have fallen into southern Israel.  One would be enough to ruin my whole month if not the next five years!  Roughly that means 72 fell in one week or 10 a day!  When does one have time to do anything!   PTSD is becoming prevalent among the children.  It's no wonder.

When the bloodcurdling siren goes off, people have less than 15 seconds to run quickly to a bomb shelter if one has such a luxury.  the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) ,with Rabbi Eckstein's plea,  has donated Fellowship bomb shelters to many places and is taking donations.  Israel hasn't been able to get this done through the state to all places and needs help in this.

I remember living in Israel from 1980 till almost 1986 in Haifa and Tzfat and living in a government apartment building on David Eleazar Street of many stories high that had a bomb shelter in it.  My German shepherd wasn't allowed entrance, though.  Most all buildings were built this way.  I lived on the very bottom floor and had metal bars over the windows in case of terrorists trying to break in.  The apartment came like this.

When I say cousin, I am not theorizing.  In DNA studies, we're finding that we Jews might have a common ancestor if we go back about 5 generations with the same person we are married to if that person is also Jewish.  We're one big family!  Besides these close cousins, I personally am finding a few distant cousins from way back that are from Pakistan and Afghanistan and even Saudi Arabia as well! Finding that we are on the same haplogroup or of the same haplotype (twig off the same branch of the tree of man) is pretty exciting.   That certainly gives me a new perspective on our relatives.  Our extended family is growing!

Now, if we could just convince our neighbors to stop using those living in southern Israel as target practice and converse like our group does in talking about our DNA, life would be much cheerier.

Research: http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageNavigator/eng/USENG_homenew

Raining Rockets in Sderot Again

Anav Silverman in Israel informs us that 62 rockets have been falling in Israel in the last 24 hours from Gaza terrorists, mostly hitting the town of Sderot. He recalls Obama visiting Sderot and exclaiming that if he lived there with his wife and two girls, he wouldn't want it to happen to him at all. He said he expected Israel to do everything in their power to stop it. Pinchas Amar, a resident of Sderot remembers that Obama wants the Qassams to stop. The residents were awakened at 4am in the morning at the sound of sirens telling of the impending rocket attack. They only have a minute or two to take cover. It looks like this is going to be a daily occurence again. Amar's kitchen was hit in 2007 by a Qassam rocket. My friend, David Bedein's son Noam, is pictured in the reference below.

Reference: http://sderotmedia.com/bin/content.cgi?ID=177&q=3